Observation
5:30 am: I wake up and make a short morning prayer before getting out of my bed.
6:00 am: Take breakfast together with my parents and siblings as we interact and talk about the activities of the day.
7:00 am: Goes to a gym session with my brother. Takes a shower.
8:00 am: Boards a bus headed to school. Make some interaction with the bus driver. Talks to a few other passengers on the bus.
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9:00 am: Arrive at the school gate where I meet with my Muslim friend. We make a conversation as we walked towards the school compound discussing a few differences between Christianity and Islamic religion as we laugh together.
9:30 am: Together with my friend, we find two boys seated next to the school gate asking for money from the people passing. I manage to have a few conversations with them, and they say they do not have parents and are therefore homeless.
11:00 am: Attends lectures where I interact with the classmates as well as the lecturer. The lesson is on religious diversity in the society and its significance.
1:00 pm: Watch lunchtime news where the news update is on three homegrown terrorists who have been killed by the police.
3:00 pm: Attend a church at the school for the choir session. Sing and undertake a few bible sessions. While at the church, I try to control my emotions after getting the news that my younger brother has just gotten ill and rushed to the hospital.
5:00 pm: Rush to the hospital to see my seek brother. Interacts with a female nurse who tells me that my brother is okay. I get to the kiosk to buy him a few snacks.
5:30 pm: My father comes, and together he drives us home. Along the way, we see two policemen arresting a young man for allegedly raping a young girl.
6:00 pm: Arrive home and find mother preparing the dinner for the family. My younger sister joins her in the kitchen to prepare the meals.
Application
The events and happenings of the day in an individual life are determined by the social norms that exist in the society. Social norms govern our behaviors and what we do at every moment throughout the day. The existence of smaller groups and social interactions units such as team or school may have norms that are different from those endorsed by the culture of the expectations of the society. The social norms constrain the actions of an individual at play. For example, the way a person behaves while at school is different from the way the same person behaves while with family members at home. In school, there are school rules and regulations and the nature of socialization is based on the group of friends within the school setting. The role of the social norm in influencing the behavior of an individual in a particular environment remain crucial in determining appropriate behavior. Norms tend to counter the behaviors in the society or culture, and these can be transmitted and maintained by the small subgroups that exist in the society. Depending on the variation in the culture, religion, race or geographical location, there are specific actions which are considered acceptable to a given group of people. Norms mainly work to promote social control, which is the statement that works to regulate the conduct of a group of people.
From my observation in the log, the social norm had a significant impact on my day. At school, I had to conduct myself depending on the norms of the school and its environment. I have to attend lectures and talk to my friends. When at home, my conduct is different from that in school because at home I interact with my parents unlike at school where I socialize with my peers and classmates. At every setting within the society, there are informal understandings that govern the conduct of members of that society. These informal understandings are known by the members, and they govern and restrain the way people behave and interact with each other. It is a norm that a church is a holy place, and while inside, one should maintain silence. It is therefore unusual to find a person making inside a church while the sermon is ongoing. Even though there are no written rules on this, it remains an informal understanding that people should maintain silence in the worship place.
The first social concept that is reflected in my observation is the emotional labor. This is the process by which an individual manages the feelings and expressions in an attempt to meet the emotional requirement of an activity or event ( Scott & Barnes, 2011 ). In my observation, I had to struggle and control my emotions while in the church after I heard that my younger brother had fallen ill and was rushed to the hospital. Eaten by this surprise at a time when I was participating in the choir, I knew I needed to manage my emotions so that I could finish the choir event. I, therefore, therefore, had to try hard and manage my feelings as I interacted with other choir members so that the whole activity could go on. In most circumstances, managing emotions require an analysis of the emotions and making decisions on the best way to express the emotions in a manner that enhance interaction and facilitate the ongoing activity to continue without interaction.
Another social concept that appears in my observation is the social deviance. In any society that has norms, social deviance is a common occurrence. Deviance is any conduct that tends to violate the social norms that have been considered acceptable in the society ( McCaghy et al., 2016). As I watched the news at 1:00 pm, the news update stated that three homegrown terrorists had been shot dead by the police. Terrorism is considered wrong both morally and in law. Terrorists plan and conduct an attack which can lead to loss of lives and destruction of properties. In any society that has norms, engaging in an activity that leads to loss of lives and destruction of the property of other people is considered to be social deviance because it is against the norms of the community. Also, while moving home with my father at 5:30 pm, we saw a man being arrested by the police for allegedly raping a girl. Rape or any form that leads to forced sexual activity is against the norms of the community, and this amounts to social deviance. The man went against the social norms by deviating from what is expected in society.
Religion is also another social concept that appears in my observation. At 9:00 am while at the school gate, I meet my friend who is a Muslim. We began to make conversations regarding the difference between the two religions as we move towards the school compound. In our conversation, religion appears and make us interact socially. Also, I attended a church at the school for choir and bible study. In the choir, we learn to sing various worship songs while at the same time getting teachings from the bible. Religion brought us together to interact and share more as members of the same religious group.
There is also the issue of poverty and inequality in the society. While at the school gate with my friends, we met two boys seated by the roadside begging money from people. It emerged that the boys neither have parents nor home, and streets are where they live. This shows the existence of poverty and inequality in the society. Resources are not evenly distributed, and the opportunities are not equally available for all individuals. While some people in the society are rich, living in houses, others live in the streets and feed only by courtesy of the road users who could offer them some penny for assistance.
Family and gender roles also come in from my observations of the day. In the morning as I woke up, we sat together as a family taking breakfast and talking about the events of the day. We live together as a nuclear family of father, mother, and children. Even in the evening after the activities of the day, we sit together in the sitting room and make conversation on various matters concerning the family. Gender roles within the family are shown when we arrive home in the evening and find mother preparing the dinner for the family. While gender roles differ from one society to the next or from one family to another, it comes out that in our family, the mother is in charge of the meals in the house. She is responsible for ensuring that the whole family sits together and have a healthy meal.
According to Humphrey and Palmer (2013) , environment plays a crucial role in determining how people tend to show social defiance. The environment in which people live can be significant in influencing the decision of people to choose which norms to violate. Usually, people learn the norms from the many socialization agents such as parents and teachers. Every behavior is learned from the environment. Sociologists have tried to understand various ways that can be used to reduce social deviance from taking place in the society. Primary preventions have been identified as the best social control mechanism that can be used to prevent social deviance from taking place completely. Successful prevention can be those methods that tackle the root cause of the deviance and enhances conformity to the social norms ( Humphrey & Palmer, 2013 ).
Sociologists have also continued to study poverty and inequality in the society from time to time. According to Grusky (2018 ), the sociological thinking on the disparity in the community should focus on the whole structure and organization of the society and how this can be related back to the social issues affecting the society. The focus should be on how resources have been distributed and how the opportunities are available for all people to utilize. In any society where inequality persists, it comes out that resources are unevenly distributed, or the opportunities are not equally given to everyone within the society ( Grusky, 2018 ).
Reflection
My role in the society is to adhere to the social norms and see a society where people uphold high levels of moral values. My motive is to see a community that is free from social deviance and inequality. There should be measures to ensure even distribution of resources and to ensure that people conform to the social norms. By interacting with friends, my day gets livelier as I feel the presence of friends with whom we can share much together. Interacting with people adds more value and happiness to my day and make me feel more socially desirable. I also affect others by making them feel the company of friendship, communication, and sharing. I make them feel that they are cherished and valued by friends. By interacting with the family members, we get to love each other and grow as a family in everything that we do.
References
Grusky, D. B. (2018). Social stratification: Class, race, and gender in sociological perspective . Routledge.
Humphrey, J. A., & Palmer, S. (2013). Deviant behavior: Patterns, sources, and control . Springer Science & Business Media.
McCaghy, C. H., Capron, T. A., Jamieson, J. D., & Carey, S. H. H. (2016). Deviant behavior: Crime, conflict, and interest groups . Routledge.
Scott, B. A., & Barnes, C. M. (2011). A multilevel field investigation of emotional labor, affect, work withdrawal, and gender. Academy of management journal , 54 (1), 116-136.
